Q: I want an alternative to grass for an area of my lawn that is very shady. I need it to prevent soil erosion. Maybe some type of ivy?

BARRY JERNI, Clayton County

Walter Reeves / Special (ENLARGE)

Dwarf mondo grass grows nicely between stones in a walkway, but it also can cover shady areas under trees.

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A:Don't plant English ivy! Before you know it, this vine will be climbing up nearby trees and damaging them. Try mondo grass instead. I classify this monkey grass relative in three sizes. "Regular" mondo grass grows 5 inches to 7 inches tall. "Dwarf" mondo grass grows 3 inches to 5 inches tall. "Tiny" mondo grass is only an inch tall. Of the three, I recommend the dwarf size. It spreads reasonably quickly from small tufts planted 6 inches apart. You can buy it from a nursery, but the best source is a neighbor who has it growing in the landscape. You can harvest hundreds of plants from a small plot, doing little damage to it but giving you plenty of starts for your shady area.

Q: Our subdivision got hit by the tornado a few weeks ago. It did considerable damage to the small trees in our yard. What are the chances that they'll survive and stay healthy if we straighten them up and secure them in an upright position?

SHERRY NADEAU, e-mail

A:If they are leaning because the trunks were bent, you can stake them upright for a couple of years. But if their root systems are halfway out of the ground, you'll need to excavate under the roots to allow each tree to settle back down so the trunk is in a vertical position. These also will need to be staked for a couple of years until anchor roots can regrow.

Q: I have access to aged horse manure, but I don't know how to use it to make a nice flower garden.

DANETTE B.,e-mail

A:Aged horse manure is a great source of organic humus for your soil. Humus holds nutrients for plant roots. Since humus particles are tiny, the manure combined with clay can result in poor internal drainage. In your flower beds, mix 1 inch of manure plus 1 inch of mini pine bark nuggets plus 1 inch of gritty sand 6 inches deep into the existing soil. The mounded bed that results will make a great home for anything you care to plant.

Listen to Walter Reeves Saturday mornings on WSB-AM (750) from 6 to 10. Call 404-872-0750 to ask questions. His Web site, www.walterreeves.com, contains thousands of answers to lawn and landscape questions. You can buy his autographed gardening books at www.walterreeves.com/books.